594 85/15 LT Alternatives

[Barry Johns]

I absolutely love my PRS 594. The only thing that I don’t particularly like, are the pickups. I understand that the objective of this instrument was to create a more vintage instrument where they absolutely hit it out of the park.

I’m just looking for a pick up with more output. I played a custom 24 the other day, and absolutely loved the pick ups on that guitar. I’m pretty sure, if those were just the basic 58/15’s, which if I understand correctly, are the same thing as the 8515‘s, except they’re not the load turn pick ups.

Obviously I can’t just purchase another set a PRS pick ups without paying a premium on eBay. So all that being said, does anyone have any recommendations from Seymour Duncan, Dimarzio, or the other typical players out there?

I’m hoping that some of you may have had some good experiences with swapping out the 594 pickups. I’ve tried a Auhr Thornbucker and didn’t care for it in the 594.

I prefer moderate gain, I have a Bogner XTC 101B which is a Marshall style that can do higher gain. I’m not a metal player if that helps, but like decent overdrive.

 

[elvis]

BKP Cold Sweat. Though they are $$ too. The standard 58/15 has tons of character and does overdrive well also.

 

[flux]

Still on the fence about a swap here. I do like the LTs tonal character a great deal, but like you I find myself craving just a bit more oomph. If I decide to change out the bridge HB my first choice at this point remains a 59/09, but I'm still open to suggestions.

 

[BrianC]

For me, Suhr Aldrich pups. Perfect balance of clarity with enough heat to spice things up!

 

[flux]

For me, Suhr Aldrich pups. Perfect balance of clarity with enough heat to spice things up!

Wow, I bet that bridge sizzles at 17.5KΩ.

 

[bodia]

I had a 59/09 in the bridge of one of mine. Perfect for that extra push.

 

[elvis]

If you like the LT character, I think you will love the standard 58/15. They have both character and output.

 

[BrianC]

Wow, I bet that bridge sizzles at 17.5KΩ.

Not as much as you might think, DC resistance can be misleading sometimes. More like an HFS.

 

[flux]

Not as much as you might think, DC resistance can be misleading sometimes. More like an HFS.

Gotcha! That makes more sense now.

 

[Smitty]

If you like the LT character, I think you will love the standard 58/15. They have both character and output.

Any ideas of the difference in the outputs? Is it subtle or very noticeable?

 

[elvis]

Any ideas of the difference in the outputs? Is it subtle or very noticeable?

I actually don't know for sure. I have a 594 on order due soon, but haven't tried the LT yet. I will say that compared to other reasonably high output pickups in my arsenal (Cold Sweat, H3) the 58/15 is no slouch, and hangs with classic and modern rock very well. I hated the 245 pickups that came in my SC245, too anemic. The 58/15 has way more punch.

 

[kes7u]

If you like the LT character, I think you will love the standard 58/15. They have both character and output.

Totally agree with this one. Like the LT, but with much better output. I personally like the standard fairly significantly more than the LT.

Kevin

 

[kes7u]

Any ideas of the difference in the outputs? Is it subtle or very noticeable?

I don't know about the resistance numbers, but the difference in output is easily noticeable.

Kevin

 

[Barry Johns]

Last night I put a Duncan Whole Lotta Love Humbucker in the bridge position on my 594, leaving the 85/15LT in the neck. Followed the wiring instructions I put the Red and White wire on the same place that the 85/15’s white wire was soldered to on the treble POT.

Both I Neck and Bridge pickups sound the way they should when they are selected individually, but when both a selected (Toggle Switch middle position) the sound becomes thin and bright, loosing most of the bottom end.

What did I do wrong?

 

[Dusty Chalk]

Sounds like they are out-of-phase with each other. It is possible that the color coding in the wiring diagram mean different things between the two companies, so if you could just reverse them, that'd probably fix it.

 

[pac90]

Yep, same thing happened to me recently wiring 58/15 to sd pearly gates, quick wire swap sorts it

 

[Zack Matzanias]

I absolutely love my PRS 594. The only thing that I don’t particularly like, are the pickups. I understand that the objective of this instrument was to create a more vintage instrument where they absolutely hit it out of the park.

I’m just looking for a pick up with more output. I played a custom 24 the other day, and absolutely loved the pick ups on that guitar. I’m pretty sure, if those were just the basic 58/15’s, which if I understand correctly, are the same thing as the 8515‘s, except they’re not the load turn pick ups.

Obviously I can’t just purchase another set a PRS pick ups without paying a premium on eBay. So all that being said, does anyone have any recommendations from Seymour Duncan, Dimarzio, or the other typical players out there?

I’m hoping that some of you may have had some good experiences with swapping out the 594 pickups. I’ve tried a Auhr Thornbucker and didn’t care for it in the 594.

I prefer moderate gain, I have a Bogner XTC 101B which is a Marshall style that can do higher gain. I’m not a metal player if that helps, but like decent overdrive.

I love the LT's in the 594. I think they have a great overdriven tone through my Mesa/Boogie Stiletto Ace. If you are committed to a change, however, I recommend you look at Seymour Duncan Whole Lotta Humbuckers. I put a set in my old SC-58 (I actually sold this guitar when I bought the 594) and in a custom shop Class 5 Les Paul. They are perfect in my opinion.

 

[garrett]

http://forums.prsguitars.com/threads/higher-gain-pickups-for-the-beloved-594.21956/

 

[László]

I’ve said this in other threads, but it might be worth considering a boost pedal instead of a hotter pickup, if you like the character of the 58/15 LTs but simply wish they had higher output for certain things.

Any pickup change is going to also be a character change. With a boost, you can instantly switch back to the original character of the guitar for the next song, something you obviously can’t do with a pickup.

There are plenty of options in the boost category, everything from very clean boosts, to highly colored boosts, to boosts that add a little grit and drive. Some boosts will also offer EQ for additional tone-shaping. Then there are treble boosts, something that the classic rockers used to shape their tone for many years, to drive single channel amps into singing sustain. There really aren’t limitations, but with a pickup, you’re stuck with whatever the tone is until you get out the screwdriver and soldering iron.

I have two boosts on my board; one is a very clean boost with the option of a mid-push, by Suhr; the second is one with dialable drive, dialable boost, EQ and coloration, the Chime side of the Pettyjohn Pettydrive 2. It can be gritty, but I use it mainly as a clean boost with a slight amount of grit, and a little bit of top-end push just to push a slightly clipping amp over the top. It also has an extremely transparent overdrive, and is built with studio grade components (which is why it’s pretty expensive!). Then there are classics like the Xotic EP, etc., to consider.

Not trying to talk you into anything, just offering up an alternative.

 

[elvis]

+10